Article handling method and apparatus



April 26, 1960 F. E. GILBERT ARTICLE HANDLING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1957 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Feza E GILBE/f Jrraen/LK April 26, 1960 G -r 2,934,378

ARTICLE HANDLING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. 17950 E 6/4552?" Ap 1960- I F. E. GILBERT ARTICLE HANDLING METHOD AND'APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 17050 6445527 United States PatentO 2,934,378 ARTICLE HANDLING METHOD AND APPARATUS Fred E. Gilbert, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Arden Farms Co., a corporation of Delaware Application September 11, 1957, Serial No. 683,328

11 Claims. (Cl. 302-2) This invention relates generally to the art of handling articles and particularly to the handling of elongated articles individually.

It is an object of the invention to provide, in the art of handling articles, a novel method of and apparatus for handling an elongated article whereby said article is conveyed longitudinally to a given point in its travel where it is abruptly rotated a substantial angle about a transverse axis and then rapidly ejected along the direction of its new alignment.

While broadly applicable in the art of handling articles, the present invention was especially designed for use in transferring stiff paper milk cartons from the carton forming machine to the machine for waxing the cartons.

It is thus another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus as aforesaid which is particularly useful in transferring a stiff paper milk carton from the mandrel of a carton forming machine to a carton carrier on the carton waxer conveyor.

It is common practice in the manufacture of stiff paper.

cartons for use in packaging fresh milk to employ a carton making machine havingan intermittently rotating rotor provided with a series of spoke-like mandrels onto each of which a tubular carton blank is fed, at a given interval in the rotation of the rotor, so that as the rotor rotates, devices are brought to bear on this blank to form and close an end on the tube blank thereby converting this into an open-top carton. At the last halt before the mandrel completes a single revolution with the rotor, the carton thus formed on this mandrel is removed and transferred to a carrier on a conveyor which conveysthe formed cartons through a bath of wax.

One type of combined cartonforming machine and waxer is shown in U.S. patent to C. Z. Monroe, No. 2,357,535 issued September 5, 1944. In this particular machine (see Fig. 6 of the drawings), the tubular carton blank is delivered onto each mandrel with the latter inclined upwardly approximately 30 from horizontal and the formed carton is shown as being discharged from each mandrel with the latter inclined downwardly about 30 from horizontal. In this machine the carton carrier on the waxer conveyor is disposed close to and in alignment with the carton forming mandrel at the time the formed carton is discharged from the latter so that the formed carton passes directly, without any change of direction, from the mandrel into the carrier.

This patent shows a means for accomplishing the transfer of the carton from the forming mandrel to the waxer conveyor carrier which applies a blast of air, released between the mandrel and the carton, to eject the carton from the mandrel at a speed which delivers the carton completely into the conveyor carrier.

Another U.S. Patent No. 2,364,868 which issued to the same patentee on a subsequently filed application dis; closes an improved means for transferring cartons from a downwardly inclined mandrel to a conveyor carrier close to and in alignment therewith which comprises an 2,934,378 Patented Apr. 26, 1960 endless chain carrying a vacuum cup means for engaging the cartons.

In carton forming machines built after the issuance of these patents it has been found mechanically advantageous to deliver the tubular carton blanks to a mandrel on the forming rotor while this mandrel is in upright position, thus making it necessary to remove the formed carton from each mandrel at its immediately prior halted position, when it is upwardly inclined. In these machines another endless-chain-and-vacuum-cup mechanism has been employed for transferring a carton from the upwardly inclined mandrel to a downwardly inclined con veyor carrier. The complexity of this mechanism makes it expensive to build and subjects it to maintenance problems.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple and maintenance-free method and apparatus for transferring a carton from an upwardly inclined carton forming mandrel to a downwardly in clined waxer conveyor carrier.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: i

Fig. l is an approximately scale drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in plan.

, veyor positioned for receiving said carton and with the device of the invention interposed between said mandrel and said carrier for accomplishing the transfer of said carton from said mandrel to said carrier. This figure also shows in broken lines the position attained by said carton in its travel into the device of the invention before the turning of the carton about a transverse axis commences.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrates in full lines the next step in the transfer of said carton following the step shown by broken lines in Fig. 2 in which the rotation of said carton has just started. This view also illustrates, in broken lines, a third step in the progress of the transfer of said carton, in which the latter is shown being still further rotated about a transverse axis while still trapped within said device.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and illustrates, in full lines, a fourth position of the carton during its transfer from the mandrel to the carrier. This view also illustrates in broken lines a fifth position of the carton as the latter is ejected rapidly along its longitudinal axis into the conveyor carrier.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view in a vertical plane of the carton transfer device of the invention with portions of the mandrel and waxer conveyor diagrammatically illustrated in their proper association with said device. This view in the patent drawing illustrates said device at an approximately true scale of 1 inch equals 3 inches.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 at the same scale.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5. e

Referring specifically to the drawings, the apparatus of the invention is there shown as embodied in a carton transfer device 9 which is located between and associated eling waxer conveyor 14, of a carton waxer 15.

As shown in the drawings, the mandrel 10, at the time the rotor 11 halts with said mandrel in conjunction with the device 9, carries a paper carton 16 on which a closed end 17 has been formed during the immediately preceding revolution of the rotor 11. The mandrel may be of any suitable construction and is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings as being solid and having a short channel 18 formed along its leading face and a long channel 19 formed along its trailing face, these channels opening into the end face 20 of the mandrel. Passages 25 and 26 formed in the mandrel 10 communicate with a port 27 opening from the rotor 11 (Fig. 2) which is brought into sealed communication with a nipple 28 connected with a supply of compressed air each time the rotor 11 halts with the mandrel 10 positioned asshown in this view.

The waxer conveyor 14 is mounted for traveling about an endless path in the waxer 15, the latter having housing walls 31 and 32 which enclose the conveyor 14 and have openings 33, 34 and 35, the purposes of which will be made clear hereinafter.

The carton carriers 13 are formed of sheet metal to include a back wall 36, upper and lower walls 37 and 38, the wall 37 having a downwardly turned short carton guiding flange 39 and the lower wall 38 having an upwardly turned longer guide flange 40. The walls at opposite ends of each of the carriers 13 are flared outwardly to assist in the smooth transfer of cartons into and from these carriers' The device 9 comprising the apparatus of the invention is preferably formed of sheet metal to provide a closed chamber 45. This chamber is enclosed by identical flat side walls 46 and 47, shaped as shown in Fig. 5, and a series of connecting walls which connect peripheral edges of the walls 46 and 47 and lie at right angles to the latter. The connecting walls include a straight guide wall 48 which connects at its upper end with a fulcrum wall section 49which is curved about a short radius and is connected by a spring hinge 50 to an adjacent lower discharge passage wall 51. A short upper discharge passage wall section 52 combines with walls 46, 47 and 51 to form a discharge passage 53 of the device 9. Wall section 52 unites with a convex wall section '54 which units with a flat wall section 55 which is in substantially coplanar alignment with wall section 52. The right hand edge of connecting wall section 55 has a down-turned lip 56. Wall section 54 has a slot 57, the purpose of which will be made clear hereinafter.

Spaced from the lower portion of straight guide wall 48 is a straight guide wall section 60 which is parallel with wall 48 and unites with the latter'and walls 46 and 47 to form a tubular intakepassage 61 for chamber 45. The upper end of guide wall section 60 unites with an outwardly convex connecting wall 62 which inclines at a substantial angle outwardly from wall 60 to produce a substantial enlargement of the chamber 45 on that-side of the intake passage 61, which is on the opposite side of the chamber 45 from the discharge passage53.

Provided on the walls 46 and 47 adjacent the upper 'end of connecting wall section 62 are ears 63 in which is mounted a shaft 64 on which ears 65 of a connecting wall section 66 are pivotally mounted. The shaft 64 also carries a spring 67 which yieldably holds wall-sec+ tion 66 upwardly into contact with the lip 56 formed downwardly on connecting wall section 55. Formed downwardly in the upper edge of wall section 66 is a notch 68 opposite which an air nozzle 69 is mounted with this angled substantially as shown in the various views of the drawings.

Extending upwardly through the slot 57 andupward- 1y around the connecting wall section 52 at its other end thereof and bent inwardly around sections 54 and 52 to mount the same in place, is a thin concave band spring 75. This spring is made of very thin material so as to be quite flexible and has a permanent set approximately as this is shown in Fig. 5 when not placed under constraint. This spring thus forms a cushion inside the convex connecting wall section 54 of the device 9. In other words, it forms a yieldable guide for the leading endof a carton while the latter is being rotated about a transverse axis in the device 9.

The device 9 is rigidly supported by any suitable means (not shown) with this device positioned relative to the mandrel 10 and waxer 15 as shown in the drawings. It is thus noted that thetubular portion of the device 9 forming the discharge passage '53 extends just through the wall opening 35 into the interior of the waxer 15. Mounted on a bracket 80 fixed on the waxer wall 32 is a limit switch 81 having a spring-raised actuating pin 82 which is disposed close to the spring-urged connecting wall section 51 of the discharge passage 53. The switch 81 is in the operating circuit of power means driving the carton forming machine 12 and waxer 15 and functions to haltthe entireassociated mechanism when the connecting wall section 51 is depressed so as to actuate this switch. Switch 81 thus operates as a safety switch whenever a carton is not fully delivered into one of the conveyor carriers 13 so that this carrier starts while a portion of this carton is extending into the discharge passage 53 of the device 9.

Extending through the opening 34 in the waxer wall 32 is an air jet nozzle 85, the purpose of which will be made clear hereinafter.

Operation A single cycle of operation of the device 9 in coordination with the carton forming machine 12 and carton waxer 15 will now he described. As these machines are designed to handle from 45 to cartons a minute, it will be seen that the entire cycle of transferring a single carton 16 from the mandrel 10 into the device 9 must take place in a small fraction of a second. Likewise, the ejection of the carton from the device 9 into one of the conveyor carriers 13 must take place in a similarly short period.

The device 9 .is able to effect a very rapid transfer of the carton 16, delivered thereto, to a carrier 13 aligned with the discharge passage 53 of the device. Nevertheless some time is naturally consumed in the travel of a carton through the device 9 so that the waxer 30 may be driven with a slight lag relative to driving of the machine 12, this lag being equal to the time required for the travel of the carton through the device 9. This lag at most would be a small fraction of a second. Outside of this very brief lag, it may be said that the parts of the carton forming machine 12 and carton waxer 15 shown in the drawings remain in the same relation relative to each other as they are shown in the drawings throughout a carton transferring cycle.

The removal of a previously waxed carton 16 from the next carrier 13 on theconveyor 14 above the carrier 13 aligned with the device 9 is accomplished by a blast of air directed through the nozzle 85 against this carton.

. As indicated by broken lines 96, this blast ejects this carton through opening 33 in the wall 31 of the waxer 15 into a chute (not shown) providedto receive the same.

Thedelivery of a carton 16 from the mandrel 10 to the intake passage 61 of the device 9 is accomplished by compressed air delivered-through the port 27 to the long and short recesses 19 and 18 in the mandrel 10 which shoots the carton into the intake passage 61. Dependence 1s notplaced on this initial impulse given to the carton 16, however, for the travel of the carton through the device 9. This is because, in each cycle of operation, prior to the delivery of compressed air to the port 27, the compressed air control means connected with the nozzle 69 delivers a jet of compressed air from this nozzle which passes through the slot 68 and along the axis 97 of this nozzle across the chamber 45 towards and through the dischargepassageSS. Air in the chamber 45 is thus entrained. with said jet, producing a suction inwardly through the intake passage 61. This suction accelerates the speed with which the carton 16 travels through intake passage 61 and into the chamber 45 and results in the leading end 98 of the carton rapidly arriving in the path of the jet of air being discharged from the nozzle 69. The impact of this jet against one side of the leading end 98 of the carton 16, when the latter has reached the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, immediately rocks the carton about the point of its contact with the connecting Wall section 49 as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. This rotation of the carton 16 about a transverse axis rapidly passes through the stage shown by. broken lines 99 in Fig. 3, bringing the carton into complete alignment with the discharge passage 53, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4.

The engagement of the following end portion of the carton 16 with the connecting wall 55 terminates the rotation of the carton at a moment when the open rear end of the carton moves opposite the nozzle 69 whereupon the full blast of the jet proceeding from this nozzle is delivered into the interior of the carton 16. This produces an almost instantaneous acceleration and ejection of the carton 16 through the discharge passage 53 and the intermediate broken line position 100 shown in Fig. 4. The carton continues along this path until it comes to a I halt lying entirely within the carrier 13, with the leading end of the carton engaging the waxer sidewall 31 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

-The means for controlling the supply of compressed air to the nozzle 69, 85 and to the port 27 of the mandrel is not shown in the drawings as any of the well known air control valve mechanisms available in the art may be used for performing this function. This valve control means is driven by and actuated in timed relation with the carton maker 12 which, as already mentioned, operates in timed relation with the waxer conveyor 14.

' In this timing of the jets of compressed air employed in this method, the control means causes an air blast to be delivered from the nozzle 85 just as the conveyor 14 comes to a halt at the beginning of a transfer cycle. This blast ejects from this carrier the carton 95 carried therein, as previously described, through the hole 33 in waxer 'wall 31. The length of this air blast is about three-quarters of a second.

Eachair blast delivered by the control means through the nozzle .69 begins with the rotor 11 still rotating to bring the mandrel 10 into alignment with intake passage 61 of the device 9. A condition of semi-vacuum has thus been created in the latter passage prior to the delivery into said passage of a carton 16 from said mandrel. The delivery by said control means of compressed air to the port 27 and through passages 25 and 26 into channels 17 and 18 between the mandrel 10 and the carton 16 occurs just as the mandrel 10 comes to a halt in the position in which it is shown in the drawings, and last about one-half of a second.

. The resulting transfer of the carton 16 from the mandrel 10 into chamber 45 is accelerated, as soon as the carton comes within the intake passage 61 where the semi-vacuum in the chamber 45 is sufficiently powerful totake over the function of whisking the carton into this clgamber with its leading end portion 98 engaging spring 7 -The reason for the channel 18 on the mandrel 10 being shorter than the channel 19 on the opposite side of the mandrel is that this tends to cause an internal air pressure to develop within the closed end of the carton 16on the side of the channel 18 which is slightly higher than the pressure which coincidentally is developing within the carton on the side of the channel 19. This efiect is only for a very brief interval of time but is sufficient to incline the carton toward and into guiding relationwith the straight wall 48 of the device 9 so the leading end portion 98 of the carton is close to the fulcrum wall section 49 when this end of the carton noses into the blast of compressed air being delivered from the nozzle 69 along the axis 97.

Thus, when the carton is struck laterally by this blast of air, it is already practically in engagement with the fulcrum wall section 49 and the rotation of the carton is smoothly accomplished by rolling the carton around this wall section.

. While the pressure of the air employed in the opera tion of the invention may vary, it has been found preferable to use a pressure of from 36 to 38 p.s.i.

As shown in Fig. 3, there is a tendency for the momentum with which the carton 16 is sucked into the device 9 to cause the upper right corner of the carton to strike the top wall of the chamber 45 before the carton has been completely rotated into alignment with the discharge passage 53 for ejection from the chamber. The very light spring 75 is provided to cushion the impact of this contact of the carton with the wall of the chamber and offer a relatively narrow, very smooth guide for the carton as it completes this rotation.

The connecting wall section 66 is spring-hinged on the wall section 62 so that the section 66 may be readily rotated outwardly and thus give access to the interior of the chamber 45 in case a jam should occur therein, making it necessary to remove one or more jammed cartons from the chamber 45.

There are two reasons for the angling of the axis 97 of the air blast delivered into the chamber 45 from the nozzle 69. The first of these is that the following end of each carton 16 as it is delivered into the chamber 45 is not entirely square in cross section because the tensions existing in the corner edges of the carton when it was in a flattened blank tubular condition just before being fed onto the mandrel 10 have not been overcome by the formation of a carton end 17 on the carton. This causes the upper near corner of the rear end of the carton to be positioned towards the observer or closely adjacent the wall 47 of the device 9 when the carton reaches the position in which it is shown in full lines in Fig. 4. The blast of air from the nozzle 69' traveling along the axis 97 thus hits the opposite side wall of the carton and tends to square up the rear end of the carton as the latter is ejected through the passage 53. This tends to decrease friction between the carton and the walls forming the discharge passage 53 and thus facilitates the ejection of the carton through this passage.

The other reason for angling the axis 97 of the jet discharged from the nozzle 69 is that the jet thus propels the carton toward and into sliding engagement with the back wall 36 of the carrier 13 receiving the carton. This means that no opportunity is given the leading end of the carton to snag on one or the other of the guide flanges 39 or 40 at the front end of this carrier.

The specific device 9 and associated apparatus disclosed in the drawings is designed for and shown operating in connection with the handling of stiif paper cartons used for packaging one-half gallon of fresh milk. These cartons are square in cross section and about 11 inches in length with only one end formed, as'shown in the drawings. The width of each of the box sides is approximately 3% inches.

The inside dimensions of the intake passage 61 are 4% inches by 4% inches. The inside dimensions of the discharge passage 53 are 4 inches by 4 inches. Opposite the connecting walls 55 and 66 the side walls 46 and 47 of the device 9 are spaced apart 4% inches.

The wall 51 which forms the bot-tom, wall of the discharge passage 53, while referred to as a connecting wall, is not connected to the side walls 46 and 47 but bears upwardly against the lower edges of these and is held thereagainst by the pressure of the spring hinge 50 which connects this wall section with the fulcrum wall section 49.

Although the left end of the spring 75 is bent snugly around the connecting wall section 52 and is thus anchored thereto, the other end of this spring is free to slide longitudinally in the slot 57 formed in wall section 54so'as to yield readily to pressure and thus provide a resilient cushion for halting the upward travel of a carton impinging thereagainst.

While the invention has been disclosed to illustrate its particular usefulness in the transfer of stiff paper cartons from a forming mandrel to a conveyor carrier, it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to a wide variety of uses in the article-handling art.

' It is thus to be understood that many modifications and adaptations of the invention as disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

The claims are:

l. A means for handling an article having an elongated shape substantially uniform in cross section which comprises means providing a compact closed chamber slightly longer than said article and having an intake passage aligned with one side of said chamber at one end thereof for admitting an article longitudinally into said chamber, there being. an article discharge passage connecting transversely with the opposite end of said chamber at the same side thereof, said chamber having an enlargement across from the aforesaid side thereof, to accommodate the turning of said article after it has entered said chamber, into alignment with said discharge passage, and means directing a jet of compressed air across and through said opposite end of said chamber, towards and out through said discharge passage, said jet creating a suction of air inwardly through, said intake passage which rapidly sucks into said chamber an article introduced into said intake passage, whereupon impingement of said jet on one side of the leading end of said article rotates said article into longitudinal alignment with said discharge passage, and causes impingement of said jet on the following end of said article which propels said article out through said discharge passage.

'2. A means for transferring a paper carton from a carton forming mandrel to a waxing conveyor carrier, where the longitudinal axes of said mandrel and carrier at the time of said transfer, intersect at a pronounced angle the apex of which is relatively close to said mandrel, said means comprising means placed close to said mandrel and providing a chamber having an intake passage aligned with said mandrel and a discharge passage aligned with said carrier, said chamber being large enough to receive an entire carton through said intake passage before the leading end of said car-ton engages the opposite end of saidchamber, and large enough to permit said carton to then swing about its leading end into alignment with said discharge passage, means for directing a blast of air across said chamber and towards said discharge passage to cause said blast to pass out of said chamber through said discharge passage, and entrain with it air from said chamber, thereby sucking air into said chamber through said intake passage, and means for shifting the carton on said mandrel axially therefrom to extend the leading end of said carton into said intake opening, whereupon said carton is-instantly sucked into said chamber by said suction, the resulting impact of said air blast on one side of the leading end of said carton then turning said carton rapidly about a transverse axis at the juncture of said discharge passage with said chamber, and bringing said carton into alignment with said discharge passage, whereupon said blast of air, impinging upon said carton from its following end, ejects said carton from said chamber through said discharge passage and into said conveyor carrier.

3. A means as in claim 2 in which said blast of air is slightly inclined towards a continuous back wall of said conveyor carrier to assure smooth delivery ofsaid carton into said carrier.

4. A device for receiving an article, having approximately the shape of an elongated rectangular parallelepipedon, when said article is delivered thereto in the "dircction of its longitudinal axis, rotating said article asubstantial angle about a transverse axis at a given point in its movement into said device, and ejecting said article therefrom in the direction of its repositioned longitudinal axis, said device comprising: walls forming a chamber, said walls including a pair of flat side walls substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said article in'its. two positions aforesaid and spaced apart to allow aslight clearance for articles passing therebetween, 'and walls connecting the edges 'of' said side walls to enclose said chamber and provide an article receiving tube and an article discharge tube for guiding said article with slight clearance .as it enters and leaves said chamber, and to provide an enlarged article turning space in said chamber located across said chamber from said discharge tube and between the latter and said receiving tube, the two adjacent connecting walls of said tubes being relatively straight and with the same angular relation as said two positions of the longitudinal axis of said article, the connecting wall across said chamber from said receiving tube forming a stop for halting travel of said article in the direction in which it travels in passing across said tube; and means for directing a jet of compressed air through said chamber and out through said discharge tube from a point in said connecting wall directly across said chamber from said discharge tube.

5. A combination as in claim 4 in which said article stop forming wall has a concave inner face for facilitating the rotation of said article as aforesaid after said article has contacted said stop Wall.

6. A combination as in claim 5 in which said concave stop wall is provided with a relatively flexible band spring which also presents a concave inner face to said article and applies a yielding force in halting movement of articles engaging said spring.

7. A combination as in claim 4 in which said adjacent connecting wall of said discharge tube is yieldably mounted; a limit switch positioned to be actuated when said connecting wall is shifted to enlarge sai'ddischarge tube; an intermittently traveling conveyor provided with individual article carriers, one of said carriers being aligned with said discharge tube each time said conveyor is halted, means for delivering articles one at a time to said receiving tube and in timed relation with the intermittent movement of said conveyor, so as to cause said device to deliver an article to one of said conveyor carriers during each interval that said conveyor is halted; and power means for driving said conveyor and said article delivery means, said power means being controlled by said limit switch whereby said power means is rendered inoperative upon the displacementof said discharge tube connecting wall and the consequent. actuation of said limit switch.

8. In combination: a tube extending upwardly at a substantial angle with horizontal, said tube being adapted to receive with narrow clearance at its lower end an elongated article approximately uniform in cross section, there being an article discharge passage extendingtransversely from one side of said tube, means for enlarging the other side of said tube above the intake end'thereof and closing the upper end of said tube just above said discharge passage to provide an enclosed chamber in which an article has room, just prior to its engaging the closed upper end of said tube, to rotate about the lower edge of said discharge pas-sage into alignment with said passage, and means for directing a blast of air across said chamber and into and out throughsaiddischarge passage, said blast creating a suction in said chamber for sucking upwardly into said chamber an article introduced upwardly into said tube, said blastimpinging-laterally upon the leading end portion of saidv article as SQ-idwfifld portion advances opposite said discharge passage, "thereby rotating said article into alignment with said passage, said blast thereupon impinging axially upon the following end of said article and ejecting said article along its axis through said discharge passage.

9. In combination: a tube adapted to receive with narrow clearance at its intake end, an elongated article approximately rectangular in cross section, there being into alignment with said discharge passage, and means for directing a blast of air across said chamber and into and out through said discharge passage, said blast creating a suction in said chamber for sucking into said chamber an article introduced into the intake end of said tube, said blast impinging laterally upon the leading end portion of said article as said end portion advances opposite said discharge passage, thereby rotating said article into alignment with said passage, said blast thereupon impinging axially upon the following end of said article and ejecting said article along its axis through said discharge passage.

10. A method of air transfer of an elongated article of approximately uniform cross section to cause the same to turn a relatively sharp corner in its path of travel, said method comprising the steps of providing a vacuum chamber with article receiving and discharge passages communicating therewith along axes intersecting within said chamber at the angle of said corner, said passages closely fitting the cross sectional configuration of said article, said chamber providing ample unimpeded space in the neighborhood of said intersection for said article to turn said sharp corner when it reaches said intersection, directing a jet of air from a point outside said unimpeded space and across said space and into said discharge passage to create a vacuum in said article receiving passage, inserting one end of said article in said receiving passage whereby said article is sucked into said chamber into the path of said jet, impingement of which on the leading portion of said article swings said article quickly into alignment with said discharge passage, said jet then driving said article from said chamber through said discharge passage.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 for the air transfer of elongated articles rectangular in cross section including the step of confining each article on opposite sides of its path of travel throughout its air transfer as aforesaid to prevent rotation of said article about its longitudinal axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,303,604 Sims May 13, 1919 1,413,727 Hanly Apr. 25, 1922 1,924,678 Curtis Aug. 29, 1933 2,427,712 -Casler et a1. Sept, 23, 1947 2,785,610 Zerlin et al. Mar. 19, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2934378 April 26, 1960 Fred E. Gilbert or appears in the-printed specification It is hereby certified that err rrection and that the said Letters of the above numbered patent requiring co Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 8 line 25, for "across" read through line 27, for "through" read across Signed and sealed this 4th day of October 1960.

Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE Attesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents 

